<rleton men’s track team celebrated Valentine’s Day early last weekend, hosting the Meet of the Hearts Saturday at the Rec Center and finishing in second place out of five teams, trailing only Gustavus. Hopefully you made it up to watch, because, as Ben Parks ’11 said, “hearts were fluttering, love was in the air, and everyone ran better for it.”
Ty Martin ‘11 broke some hearts by easily winning the 55m hurdles in 7.95 seconds. Martin is currently ranked second in the MIAC in the event. Martin also competed in the 600 yards, in which Michael Sanders ’10 finished an agonizingly close second to support a small but fast alumni contingent at the meet.
Not even Cupid would have stood a chance of slowing down Bobby Davis ‘13 in the 1000 meters. The Knights’ other event winner roared down the home straightaway, passing a Luther runner to run 2:38, a personal best. Davis’ teammates reported that upon finishing, Davis pointed both index fingers to the sky, bent down to kiss the track, and let out a victorious yell that impressed even the nearby Gustavus shot putters. Josh Campbell ‘13, Aaron Hirsh ‘13, and Reid McMurry ‘13 placed third, fourth, and sixth, respectively, in the event, each establishing season bests.
Dylan Cheever ’13 and Jameson Siegert ’11 placed second and third, respectively, in the high jump, both clearing 5’11 ¼”, or 1.81 meters, for the metrically inclined. Cheever showed some muscle, also setting a personal best in the shot put.
In the triple jump, C.J. Dale ‘13 jumped 12.57 meters to set a personal best for indoor track and finish second. Dale also finished third in the long jump. Taking a break from ski jumping to triple jump, Cooper Dodds ’13, set a new personal best by over a meter.
James Morrissey ‘12 returned from an early season hamstring injury to fly under the radar and finish second in the 400 meters, running 53.4 seconds. Adrian Carpenter ‘14 and Trey Brademan ’14 both ran personal bests in the 55 meter hurdles, while Matt Harrison ‘13 showed startling precision by finishing the 800m in 2:07.00, good enough for third place.
The 3000 meters turned out to be an intriguing race featuring three Carls and two alumni. Joe Sepe ’08 crossed the line in second, while Marcus Huderle ’14, Kian Flynn ’12, and Colin Sinclair ’11 all set personal bests in 9:01, 9:03, and 9:05, respectively. Former Saint Mary’s record holder Chas Karch ‘13 finished second in the 5000 meters with a time of 17:00. In the mile, Famous Johnson ’12 ran a smart race, crossing the line in 4:58 to break the five-minute barrier.
Jon Raberg ’12 had a successful season debut, finishing fourth in the 55m dash and sixth in the 200m dash. In both races, Jordan Butler ‘13 and Joshua Estes ‘14 closely followed Raberg. Butler and Estes both took about half a second off their best times this season in the 200 meters.
The 4×200 meter relay team was more than a match for the Augsburg relay team’s Valentine’s Day themed socks, finishing a strong second in 1:34. The 4×400 meter relay of Michael Austin ’13, Nick Herringer ’14, Butler, and Martin may have been even more impressive, running 3:32, 10 seconds faster than an earlier season attempt, to close out the meet on a positive note for the Knights. After current Carleton athletes were done competing, Carleton’s alumni squad of Mark Felice ’08, Sanders, Jack Delehanty ’09, and Sepe put on a show in the Distance Medley Relay, smoking the competition by nearly 30 seconds.
Sadly, due to the flooding of the outdoor track at Laird Stadium, Meet of the Hearts was the Knights’ last home meet this year. This week the Knights will run either at the University of Minnesota on Friday, or across the river and up the hill at St. Olaf on Saturday. If your Valentine’s Day lacked a certain excitement, be sure to put a big X (and an O while you’re at it) on your calendar for Meet of the Hearts next year.
Colin Sinclair is a member of the men’s track team.